


Indy Does Atlantis

by pipisafoat



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Ableism, Ableist Language, Disabled Character, Gen, Genderqueer Character, POV First Person, POV Original Character, Physical Disability, Trans Character, Transphobia, transphobic language, wheelchair user
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:08:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28076748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pipisafoat/pseuds/pipisafoat
Summary: Sent to Atlantis to consult on survival methods, Indigo Matheson is surprised to be placed in charge of the entire expedition for a few months while senior staff is away on Earth. When Sergeant Bates’s paranoia spikes yet again, how will Indigo manage that crisis along with every other crisis in the galaxy?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11
Collections: Fandom Trumps Hate 2020





	Indy Does Atlantis

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Goddess47](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goddess47/gifts).



> See end notes and tags for comments on warnings/content.
> 
> Big thanks to [peoriapeoria](https://archiveofourown.org/users/peoriapeoria/pseuds/peoriapeoria) for doing a quick beta job and sensitivity reading. All remaining errors or issues are mine.
> 
> This was written for 2020 Fandom Trumps Hate as a gift for [Goddess47](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goddess47), who made a generous donation toward the future of humanity and the planet and deserved to be rewarded. I hope you enjoy reading this - I had a lot of fun writing it!

“This place is seriously cool,” Thomas said behind me as soon as the shimmer of the transportation beam resolved. The explosives expert was a large man, broadly built, with short hair just starting to turn into dreadlocks. He glanced around with excited eyes. “Look at that architecture!”

“Yes, Captain, we see it,” replied Thomas’s team leader, Colonel Michael Thompson. His tanned face showed more amusement than frustration, though both were present.

“I know, but really _look_ ,” Thomas urged. He pointed with one long finger to a beautiful window, though I wasn’t sure if it was meant to convey anything beyond colorful light.

D laughed, an airy, musical sound. “We’re looking, Reynolds.” Her voice matched her laugh in a very pleasant way that made me smile. She flashed a smile back at me, her perfect teeth making me feel rather self conscious about my own less than ideal mouth.

Jason, an attractive white man with light brown hair, poked me softly in the shoulder. “Any idea where we’re going?” With me in my wheelchair, Jason towered over me, but if I stood, I knew I could easily see over the top of his head.

I snorted at his question. “Not a clue, my friend. And this corridor seems mostly deserted. No, wait, is that … Excuse me!” I called loudly, craning my neck as much as my painful spine would allow and reaching up to brush a strand of my black hair out of my eyes.

A beautiful person with long hair and clothing that looked totally alien to me when compared to the uniforms I had been expecting from the expedition members turned and approached us. “Do you require assistance?” they called back from halfway down the hallway.

“Absolutely,” I said. “I’m Indigo - they pronouns - and this is D - she pronouns - and Thomas, Michael, and Jason, all he pronouns. We’re supposed to report to Dr Weir, but I think we may have beamed into the wrong part of the city.”

“I am Teyla, she pronouns if I’m understanding that correctly. If you can follow me, I will take you to her.” The woman smiled down at me, seated in my dark purple custom wheelchair. “I see we cannot use stairs. Are there any other limitations?”

I shook my head as D spoke. “None, but I for one could use a restroom along the way.”

Teyla laughed, a gentle, musical sound. “That will not be a problem. Come, follow me.” 

She led us on a twisting path through that level before stopping before what she called a transporter. “We will require two trips, so if half of you would wait here, I will return for you immediately. D and anyone else requiring a restroom, please come in the first group.”

I waited with Michael while the other three went with Teyla. Once they were gone, he turned to me and asked in his deep, quiet voice, “Does this look like a residential area to you?”

“Definitely,” I replied, absently tracing one of the bright green rims on my chair, sliding my fingers down the front, up to the middle, and down the back, letting my pasty, calloused fingertips bump against each spoke holding the rim to the wheel. It was an odd habit dating back to the first days of my wheelchair use, when I was less sure of what I was grabbing if I didn’t look to check.

“Hmm.”

“Why, what are you thinking?”

Michael shrugged his muscular wrestler’s shoulders. “Just wondering how we got beamed way out here in an area not many people would be in this time of day. Wondering if it was an accident or if we were somehow rerouted by someone.”

I laughed, pushing aside the edge of unease that Michael’s words brought. It was his job to be a little bit paranoid about things like this. “Who would reroute us, and how? That’s messing with Asgard technology, and from what I’ve read, that’s not something humans are capable of. No, it sounds like an accident to me.”

He nodded as the transporter doors opened to show Teyla returned. “I’m sure you’re right,” he told me quietly and sincerely, then turned to our guide. “Is this thing instantaneous?”

She smiled at him, glancing over to include me in the gesture. “It is; however, I had to show the others to the restrooms.”

“Of course,” Michael said. “Indigo, after you.”

The transporter was small; my chair didn’t fit when I tried backing in as I would for an Earth elevator. Instead, I had to go straight in, then jerk sharply to the left to get my chair turned sideways. It took a three point turn to get myself tucked tightly enough against the wall that the doors would close with a few inches to spare, but it wasn’t too onerous a task. Teyla and Michael were able to squeeze in on either side of me, but it was a tight fit; I’d have to learn the city quickly so I could travel alone. That is, if I could reach the top of the city map that doubled as transporter controls. It wouldn’t be a problem on days that I could stand, but—

“Indigo?”

I shook myself out of my musings and ripped my gaze from the map. “Sorry, Teyla.”

“Elizabeth is waiting,” Teyla said softly, stepping backwards to vacate to the entrance to the transporter. “I ran into her with the first group.”

“Excellent,” I pronounced, slapping my hands enthusiastically onto my rims and executing a tight spin to the left to be able to follow my companions out of the transporter.

“Will you be attempting Dr Beckett’s gene therapy before senior staff leaves?” Teyla inquired politely as we started down the hallway.

I grinned up at her, stunned by the stained glass glowing behind her loose hair. “Oh, yeah,” I answered with feeling.

Her laugh rang out again, and I grinned wider to be the one to cause it. “That seems to be the plan for many of your Earth people.”

“What can I say, we like shiny new toys,” I shot back, and her return grin was just as pleasing as her laugh.

“Talking about the gene therapy?” D asked, falling in line with us along with the other men as we drew level with the restrooms.

I nodded.

“I’d love to be able to fly these puddle jumpers,” she said almost wistfully. She rubbed her hands absently on her thighs, a habit I’d noticed over the past few weeks after each time she used the restroom, whether her hands were dry or not. She noticed me watching and snatched her hands away, holding them together behind her back.

“They are truly a work of art,” Teyla agreed. “Here, this is Dr Weir’s office. Perhaps I will see you at dinner tonight.”

My twenty-four hour watch was useless here; I knew that before I checked it. Seven o’clock, it said, but I knew from Colonel Caldwell that it was closer to four in the Atlantis afternoon. “I would like that,” I replied sincerely, knocking on the wall beside the open doorway.

“Come in,” the tall woman inside called distractedly, then looked up from her computer a moment later as we were filing in. “Oh, Indy! And your own personal SG team.”

I snorted inelegantly. “Long time, no see, Lizzie. This is SG-14: Colonel Michael Thompson, Captain Thomas Reynolds, Dr Jason Donaldson, and Captain D’Atra ‘D’ Johanson.” I pointed to each in turn as they emerged from behind me to stand in a line to my right, each of them falling into parade rest, even Jason, the only non-military member of the team. I suppressed the urge to snort again as I realized it was their gesture of respect for the leader of the Atlantis expedition, or the commander of the base they were temporarily serving on.

Elizabeth Weir stood and reached over her desk to shake hands with each of them and then with me. “A pleasure to have you all here, and thank you all for stepping away from the SGC to help us out here. If there’s anything we can do to make your stay more comfortable, don’t hesitate to ask. Now, SG-14, Major Sheppard would appreciate it if you could check in with him.”

“We’ll all go when we’re done here,” I answered quickly. The last time I let SG-14 speak to the head of the military without me around, they ended up in a different galaxy. Sheppard seemed to be a stand up sort of guy, from the tapes we’d received and from his file, but I wasn’t letting what amounted to my people meet him without me there. Besides, with a major in charge of the base and a visiting colonel, there was bound to be some friction, and I wanted to help smooth it out before it got too interesting.

Lizzie hesitated, then nodded. “Very well. In that case, SG-14, a pleasure to meet you. Would you mind waiting outside while I speak with Indigo?”

To my pleasure, they turned as one and looked to me for a nod before filing out, and it was thus bolstered that I shifted in my chair and turned my full attention to Lizzie. “Why the secrecy?”

The door clicked shut behind me. Lizzie’s right hand came back into view from underneath her desk. A switch to control the door? She opened her mouth, and I focused my attention on her face and her words.

“You may already know that the senior staff of Atlantis has been ordered back to Earth via the Daedalus.”

I didn’t know that, but it didn’t surprise me. Sheppard in particular was not going to have a comfortable time there, not after what had happened to his original boss. “I see.”

“This leaves us with a bit of a power vacuum,” she went on to explain. “Not in the military, thank goodness; John’s new second in command is here and fitting in well. Not in base security; Sergeant Bates’s presence was not requested. Science and medicine are both covered as well, as they each already had an informal second in command who is willing to step up during our absence. No, the problem lies with me, Indigo. Teyla is the closest to a second in command I have, but the SGC would raise absolute hell if I left a non-Terran in charge. Nobody else on Atlantis is even remotely able to take over for me.”

Oh, no. Was this conversation really about to go the way I thought it was? “Lizzie—“

“Indy, we’ve known each other since grad school. Trust me when I say you’re more than able to do this job. General O’Neill knows you and very clearly trusts you if he sent an entire SG team essentially for your personal use.”

“Not my _personal_ use,” I objected, but Lizzie just waved a hand and brushed it away.

“Will you take command of Atlantis in my absence?”

I wanted to say no just as badly as I wanted to say yes. “There are issues to discuss first,” I said slowly, and Lizzie nodded. There were real issues, from my research on the files of the expedition members as well as from the data burst they had sent to the SGC, but I also needed to buy some time to think about the idea.

“Go ahead.” Lizzie leaned onto her desk and steepled her fingers in front of her chin.

“Dr Kavanaugh, Lt Forrest, and Sgt Bates,” I said bluntly. “They’re all likely problems, and none of them are senior staff.”

She grimaced and tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear slowly, as if to buy herself some time before answering. “Yes, you’re right. And all of them will be here, to the best of my knowledge, though there’s a rumor that Kavanaugh is looking for a transfer back to Earth. If he doesn’t go, meet with Rodney - that is, Dr McKay - before we leave to get ideas on how to handle him. Let the military deal with Forrest; he’ll be fine.”

Silence reigned for a long moment before I prompted, “And Bates?”

Lizzie grimaced again, deeper this time. “He’s good at his job.”

“What excellent advice on handling a problem,” I said with a brief laugh, smiling when Lizzie joined the laughter.

“Okay, you’re right, I don’t have any advice. We just lurch awkwardly from crisis to crisis, and they’ve generally kept his less than savory traits under control or at least funneled in a productive direction.” She laughed again. “No advice. Sorry.”

I nodded, trying to hide my disappointment. Was I to hope for a crisis that threatened everyone in the city just to keep one man in line? Suppressing a sigh, I switched gears to another problem with me taking over her job while she was gone. “The hours you report keeping are not doable for me.”

“You’re not me. You won’t have to do half of what I do. You’re also better at delegating than I ever was, and in addition to my staff being left behind, you’ll have SG-14 to lean on.”

“And if the Wraith come back?”

Elizabeth’s face clouded. “They shouldn’t. But if they do, I have every confidence in you. What would you do?”

“Cloak as soon as we sense them. Double military shifts and increase patrols. Can we sink the city again? Has anyone chased down that reference to the city flying?”

“Flying?” She grinned at me, the threat of the Wraith momentarily vacating her mind. “You think Atlantis can fly?”

I grinned back, reminded of the levity of our college days. “Better believe it, baby butt.”

She tossed a pen at me, but it went wide and hit the door behind me. I grinned wider.

“What would you do?” I asked, letting the short moment of levity fade away. We weren’t grad students anymore, sadly, but adults with life and death jobs to do. Not exactly what I’d pictured in college.

“I have absolutely no idea,” Elizabeth admitted. “Ask the scientists for ideas. Ask … Ask anyone and everyone for ideas. Start with Teyla, Lorne, and Radek, and have them asking around for you.”

“I feel like we should start asking now, before there’s a crisis. Give everyone relaxed time to come up with the next big move.”

She nodded slowly. “Excellent. I’d like you to get that ball rolling for me once you and your SG team are settled in.”

“They’re not _my_ SG team, Lizzie,” I complained, only noticing after the fact that I’d been referring to her casually since my arrival. I supposed old habits died hard, but she certainly hadn’t been complaining. “They’re here to help me teach, but they don’t belong to me.”

“Sure, Indy.” I grimaced at the old nickname, but turnabout was certainly fair play. “Whatever you say.”

* * *

“You’ve talked with all your interim department heads?”

“You know I have. You were there.”

“Right, good. And you’ve talked with Rodney?”

“Yes, but Kavanaugh is going with you, remember?”

“Of course; I forgot. And you have meds and water stashed in my desk?”

I sighed as loudly as I could. “Yes, Mom.”

Lizzie blushed and thankfully, finally, sat down in her office - ostensibly my office as of two hours ago, if she’d ever get on the Daedalus. I was thinking of asking Colonel Caldwell to beam her aboard from here. “I’m sorry, Indy. This base is my baby, so it hurts to leave her behind even for a little bit. But I trust you. I do. It’s just….”

I waited a beat, then finished her sentence. “This is your baby. You can’t trust anyone enough. Why do you think my work isn’t even starting until you’re back? SG-14 could handle a lot of it for me, but I want in from day one. I get it, Lizzie. But your base and your people and your projects are all my only priority until you return.”

“Or until someone else is named head of the expedition,” she said gloomily. “Indy, what if I don’t come back?”

“You will,” I replied firmly. “You’ll come back, and you’ll continue to lead this mess of people. But only if you don’t miss your transport to Earth. Lizzie, you’ve got to get on that ship.”

She nodded, sighed, and stood. “You’re right. You’re usually right. I’ll just check in on Lorne—“

“No, you won’t! Lizzie! Get on that ship before I tie you to my chair and drag you there myself!”

She held up both hands and backed away from her - my - desk toward the door. “Okay, okay. If anyone asks, I was doing paperwork with you, not freaking out, okay?”

I laughed and hit the switch that opened the office door. “Of course. Now go before you miss your ride.”

“Daedalus to Atlantis.”

I groaned and tapped the radio that had become second nature to me over the past week. Now that I was in charge of the base, I had to answer or delegate any radio calls addressing ‘Atlantis’ while on duty. “Matheson here.”

“Dr Matheson, it seems that Dr Weir is without a radio and not on board the Daedalus yet.”

I raised my eyebrows at Elizabeth and mouthed GO!, relieved when she did so. “Not to worry, Colonel,” I said calmly. “She just left my office en route to you.”

“Thank you, Matheson. Daedalus out.”

I leaned back in my chair, relishing the slight pop of so many joints as I stretched. It was always nice to feel them slide back where they belonged. After a moment’s thought, I rolled back until I hit the wall, locked the brakes, and rose from my chair to do some standing stretches. I was, of course, bent in half with my head at the floor when someone knocked.

“Ow, shit!” I cried as the surprise literally knocked me over.

“Indigo!” I recognized Teyla’s voice, even as my eyes were scrunched shut in pain. “Are you—“

“Boss?” I opened my eyes to see Thomas there as well. Not suspicious at all, when I’d specifically told SG-14 to find something fun to do for a few hours while I got Lizzie heading back to Earth.

“Chair,” I gasped out, one hand on my left hip trying to force it back into place. “Ah, hell.”

Teyla moved to the chair, tried to bring it to me, and froze when it didn’t move. “I’m sorry, I’m not familiar with its operation….”

“I got it,” Thomas said, deftly operating the brakes. “See?”

If Teyla answered, I missed it as the pain seared through me as I moved back into my chair. With a hip out of place, the easiest way for me to regain my seat was to use my hands on the frame to leverage myself up from the floor and into the chair.

“Pain meds?” Thomas asked, and I nodded.

“Bottom drawer.”

He whistled lowly as he opened the drawer. “You’re like a walking pharmacy,” he said, plucking up the bottle I needed easily. It seemed the crash course I’d given SG-14 on the Daedalus about my medical situation had stuck with him, thank goodness. “Well, rolling.”

I snorted and took the meds and water bottle he offered me. “Teyla, how can I help you?” I asked before tossing two pills to the back of my tongue.

“It is not important.”

I swallowed the pills dry. “Yes, it is, or you wouldn’t have come when you did. After Lizzie - I mean, Elizabeth - left, but as soon as she left. It’s something you didn’t want to bother her with but think it can’t wait any longer.”

She nodded almost solemnly. “Your analysis is correct. I did not want Elizabeth to become distracted during her final days here, but the subject cannot wait much longer. May we close the door?”

Thomas jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Should I?” he asked Teyla.

“It is as Indigo wishes.”

I shrugged. “Stay in this time, Thomas. Take notes or something.”

“Sure.” He pulled a pad of paper out of the same drawer as my meds, and I handed him a pen from the top drawer as he kicked the bottom shut.

“Teyla?”

The woman looked uncomfortable for a long moment. “I fear that I must once again bring to your attention the behavior of Sergeant Bates,” she finally said in a soft but firm voice. “I understand he was not to leave on the Daedalus, so speaking with Elizabeth this time felt futile, but you must understand the situation.”

“Is it about you specifically, all Athosians, or all non-Earth people?” I asked, cutting to the point. I had little patience for dancing about when in this much pain.

“I believe I have heard John answer Yes in these situations,” Teyla responded, and I laughed a little at her use of what was clearly Earth slang to her. 

“Okay. Is he saying things or doing things?”

“At this point, saying things.”

I nodded. “Not to diminish the pain of words, but I’m glad that’s all it is so far. Hearsay, he’s coming up to you, or you’re going up to him?”

She frowned. “Hearsay is not a word I’m familiar with. He is approaching me and others, and the others are coming to me.”

“Okay. Has he mentioned me at all?”

Teyla grimaced. “Unfortunately, he has said that you are weak and therefore he will be better able to protect the base in his own way.”

I grinned, clearly taking her by surprise. “I don’t need to be physically strong. He’s in for a surprise when he tries to take on my mind, though.”

Thomas laughed. “I’ll say.”

I ignored his input, though I appreciated the vote of confidence from someone who knew me more recently than Lizzie did. “Any specific threats?”

“He calls them promises and fair warning,” Teyla said sadly. “I am the only Athosian remaining on Atlantis now.”

“Doesn’t matter,” I said, waving that information away. “Mainland Athosians are just as reliant on the city and are just as much under my protection as any personnel from Earth. I mean, it matters that they’re so uncomfortable with one man that he’s able to drive them away, but for my responsibility toward them, it doesn’t matter.”

A smile crept onto Teyla’s face. “I see now why Elizabeth left you in charge.”

“She wanted you,” I said, suddenly feeling like the woman needed to know if she didn’t already.

“I am aware of her reasons for not choosing me. I am unsure how successful a leader I could be without my friends on the senior staff and with Bates in his position. I am now much more sure of you.”

Wow. Okay. “Thank you.” I shifted in my chair to buy myself a moment to think and nearly vomited from the pain of sudden movement. Best not to do that again until the hip was fixed. “Thomas, draw a line under anything you’ve written. Label the new section Answers. Teyla, in a perfect world, how would you have me handle Bates?”

She didn’t hesitate; Thomas hadn’t even finished the line. “I would have you remove him of his position, strip him of weapons, confine him to quarters, and send him back to Earth as soon as possible.”

I waited for Thomas to write her answer before replying. “Unfortunately, words alone are not reason enough for me to remove him. Given that, what would you prefer?”

She sat for a moment, clearly thinking. “I believe I must then say that his position must be reduced or brought under greater scrutiny.”

“Done,” I said firmly. “I’ll also have him report to Dr Heightmeyer for an evaluation under the guise of the recent battle, and I will have words with him about approaching you. In the future, those words will become an order if necessary. If he refuses to follow a direct order, that’s when you’ll see him removed from his position.”

Teyla’s eyebrows rose rapidly. “That is a solid plan.”

“Half of it has been in the works since Elizabeth informed me this was to be my job,” I admitted.

“That’s about a week, though,” Thomas put in, finally putting down the pen.

“Yes; I am impressed with your thought on this subject.”

I shrugged. “Half my people have a problem, and there’s nothing life-threatening happening. Of course this is a priority.”

* * *

“Dr Matheson!”

I looked up from my laptop in Lizzie’s office and smiled at my visitor. “Sergeant Bates. How can I help you?” I made a point of saving my document and shutting the computer.

“You have no authority to order me to psychology.”

This was my most likely outcome, but it was also one of my least favorite. “Everyone is being ordered to psych,” I said calmly. “Dr Weir’s orders, backed fully by Major Sheppard.”

Bates’s expression darkened. “Some of us have important jobs to be doing, not time to waste.”

“Your job is incredibly important,” I said honestly. “Your job is important, and you were exposed to Wraith. With their mind powers, we have to be careful, and your job places you at the top of my priority list.”

He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. “Maybe you’re weak enough to worry about them, but the fact that I can do my job still means—“

“Sergeant. I am not questioning your ability to do your job,” I said firmly, though of course I was. “I am following the orders of my superiors in continuing to facilitate these interviews with psych. Your position’s importance is directly related to why I’d like you to get it over with and get back to work without any lingering concerns about the Wraith. This is not a request.”

“Some cripple warming a chair can’t give me orders.”

Michael appeared in the doorway and glared ferociously at Bates. “Actually, they can,” he growled lowly. “I take my orders from Indigo. So does Major Lorne. So do you, or I’ll have my team arrest you.”

“Colonel.”

He glanced at me and shrugged. “He needs to understand the chain of command.”

“Colonel, get out.” As soon as he moved out of the doorway, I triggered it to shut but left it transparent. “I apologize for the interruption. As I was saying, this is not a request."

“We’ll see,” Bates replied, standing up from his chair. “We will just see."

* * *

_To: matheson@atlantis.net  
From: heightmeyer@atlantis.net  
CC: aia@atlantis.net  
Subject: Evaluation: Sergeant Dean M. Bates_

_Dr Matheson,_

_Per your request, attached please find the full evaluation for Sergeant Dean M. Bates. Below, find a short summary. Per your other request, this email is copied to Atlantis Internal Affairs. May I ask who is attached to this new group?_

_As you suspected, Sergeant Bates shows clinical signs of paranoia. Though he was largely uncooperative during our session, I did find evidence of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, which may be the root of the paranoia. Without his consent and participation, however, I will not be able to treat this illness._

_I understand that you must do what you feel is best for the entire expedition, but I must warn you that removal from his position or confinement to quarters is not in Dean’s best interest at this time and could severely exacerbate his symptoms - including the paranoia and Terran First attitude._

_Dr Kate Heightmeyer_

* * *

_To: heightmeyer@atlantis.net  
From: matheson@atlantis.net  
Subject: Re: Evaluation: Sergeant Dean M. Bates_

_Kate,_

_As of this moment, AIA forwards to my inbox. It exists more as a record than as a group. That said, I am in the process of determining the best way to get people in AIA. I cannot, unfortunately, ask you to serve, as you will be an expert witness regarding Bates should the need arise. I am more than open to ideas, though._

_If I called three meetings, one of military, one of science, and one of everyone else, which would you attend?_

_Yours,_

_Indigo Matheson_

* * *

_To: matheson@atlantis.net  
From: heightmeyer@atlantis.net  
Subject: Re: Evaluation: Sergeant Dean M. Bates_

_Indigo,_

_I should see nothing wrong with my involvement with the AIA provided I recuse myself during any cases I would be involved with. I recognize that that may be quite a few. All I’m saying is that I’m willing to serve and believe I can be made able, as well._

_I and other medical personnel would attend the science meeting unless specifically told otherwise._

_Please send SG-14 to me for evaluations during the next few weeks._

_Kate_

* * *

_To: heightmeyer@atlantis.net  
From: matheson@atlantis.net  
Subject: Re: Evaluation: Sergeant Dean M. Bates_

_Kate,_

_It is my fervent hope that your services will be required in every case. To put it another way, if there’s anything severe enough for Atlantis Internal Affairs to get created for or involved with in the future, I would like to think that you would be called to consult if only to rule out an emotional component or highlight it just as you have in this email. That said, I intend to remain the only member of AIA until the return of Dr Weir, at which point I will turn over all documentation (including emails) and leave it to her to decide how best to implement AIA._

_Captain Thomas Reynolds will be in touch today to schedule their evaluations. If I need an evaluation as well, please schedule through Thomas as well._

_Yours,_

_Indigo_

* * *

“Thank you, Chuck. Try not to interrupt this meeting for anything less than an emergency.”

Chuck nodded and smiled at me. “I know I’m not supposed to know what your meeting is about—“

“But you’re as nosy as SG-14,” I finished for him with a laugh. 

He grinned. “Yup. Anyway, I just wanted to say good luck.”

The levity dropped off my face. “Thanks. I hope we don’t need it.” With that, I turned and rolled across the short walkway at the top of the stairs - never a comfortable place for me to be, with the danger of falling down the stairs with a twenty-four pound metal frame on top of me - and into the conference room I’d reserved for the meeting.

“Which is why you never drink whiskey with the colonel, here,” Thomas was saying as I entered the room and triggered the doors. The others laughed and I smiled, pleased we could start the meeting in a good mood. “Indigo!”

The head of the table was, quite honestly, too far away for my level of fatigue that day, so I pulled up to the nearest place instead. “Thank you all for coming,” I started. “Thomas, minutes please.”

“Of course,” he replied easily, indicating the laptop in front of him. I’d been asking this of him a lot lately, if he was already ready to go.

“Got everyone listed?”

“Indigo Matheson, Teyla Emmagen, Dr Radek Zelenka, Dr Lindsay Biro, Major Evan Lorne, Sergeant Kelly Major, Colonel Michael Thompson, Dr Jason Donaldson, Captain D’Atra Johanson, and Captain Thomas Reynolds. Ready.”

“Do you prefer Sergeant Major or Kelly?” I asked the woman; we’d met but only briefly.

She shrugged. “Honestly, just Major, if that won’t get too confusing with Major Lorne in the room.”

“I prefer Evan anyway,” the man in question added to the conversation.

“Excellent. First names for all but Major. Now, as you’re aware, this meeting is to discuss Sergeant Bates. I want to be very clear from the beginning that this is entirely theoretical at this point. SG-14 will tell you that I plan for worst case scenarios for a living, and that is what this meeting is all about. I also have some privileged information that I don’t feel I’m ethically free to speak of, whatever the legalities may be. This information may drive some of what I say throughout the meeting.

“The situation is this: Sergeant Dean Bates is flirting with the edge of appropriate behavior in his position and has been for some time. He is endangering this city by threatening our main allies, our more minor allies, and most especially Teyla, who is the main resource this colony has to help toward survival. He has disobeyed direct orders from me as well.”

“And used some pretty nasty language toward you,” Michael added.

I waved a hand dismissively. “That’s unfortunate, but it’s not related to his ability to do his job or punishable.”

“Actually, sir, that’s where you’re wrong,” Major interrupted. “Any transphobic or ableist language he directs toward you shows a lack of consistent care for all residents of the city just as surely as his xenophobic remarks.”

Huh. Well argued. “Okay, you win. Add that to the list. Now, what I’d like to discuss is who could take over for him on short notice both short term and long term.”

Every eye swung to Major.

“No,” she said simply, then after a beat explained her answer. “Short term, I’m willing, but I’m saying maximum one month, and even that leaves me very uncomfortable. I wouldn’t make a good long term solution. You need someone who can see the bigger picture, who can delegate well, who can actually do the job. That’s not me. I know this isn’t how the military works, but I think we’d all be safer and better served to promote Corporal Adam Miller over me.”

Teyla smiled and nodded. “I know Adam quite well,” she explained to the group. “He has spent significant time among my people. I do not believe he would cause any harm to us. Nor do I believe he is the type to insult others, Indigo. I am very comfortable with Adam in charge of security.”

“He respects scientists,” Radek put in.

“Medical as well,” Lindsay added.

“Fourteens?” I asked with the shorthand we’d agreed upon on the Daedalus on our way to Atlantis.

Four heads nodded, and D opened her mouth but was beaten to it by Jason.

“I don’t know him well, but he’s always given me a good fight and a lot of respect when I wander into his training classes.”

“He gives me good vibes,” D finally said.

“Anyone have any objection, any at all, to Corporal Adam Miller as the tentative replacement head of base security?” Nine heads shook at me. “Very well.” I tapped my radio. “Corporal Miller, channel 8.” I dialed quickly over to the quiet channel, unsurprised to see each member of SG-14 joining me.

_”Miller here."_

“Corporal, please join me in the conference room as soon as possible.”

_”Yes, sir. ETA four minutes.”_

“Excellent. Matheson out.” I flipped back to the main channel and turned the volume down to a level where my name would still get my attention but the rest could filter under my consciousness. “Major, what you’ve proposed is unconventional, but I’m here for it. If Adam wants to give it a try, I’ll throw all my support your way. Now, back up plans?” Major cocked her head but didn’t speak; I answered the question anyway. “Worst case scenario right now is that he says no. That shouldn’t be too hard to plan for.”

Major nodded. “Well, as I said, I’m willing to serve on a short term basis, which at least buys us some time to make a decision. The problem is that if Miller says no, that’s putting us too far down the chain of responsibility for someone to reasonably leapfrog over me.”

“Then we look outside of the existing base security structure. Evan, any thoughts?”

He looked completely overwhelmed at the question. “Outside of base security? Indigo, I barely know the job requirements for security. I have no idea how to search for someone who can do that. I wasn’t meant to be a second in command any more than Major Sheppard was intended to command.”

“I’m not meant to be in command of this base, SG-14 isn’t meant to be in this galaxy and certainly not intended for command staff once here, Teyla isn’t meant to be separated from her people. Just keep doing the best you can, Evan. We’re all in the same fragile boat.”

“That didn’t really make me feel better,” the major muttered, and I laughed.

“I have a suggestion,” Teyla said hesitantly, “if it wouldn’t be overstepping.”

I smiled at her. “By all means, we need suggestions. You’re just as much a member of this crew and a part of this meeting as anyone else. In fact, I have a feeling you’re about to help us quite a lot.”

She returned the smile. “It is my hope that my suggestion helps. If nobody has a nomination for the position, perhaps we should take the opposite approach. If provided with a list of all military personnel of the appropriate rank, I could comb through their names and eliminate any whom I know to be unsupportive of your allies.”

“I can get you that list,” Evan replied quickly. “Do you have email?”

“John arranged that before our first mission, though I do not have my own computer.”

“Well, why not?” I asked. “There are plenty.”

“I do not fully understand its operation.”

“I can teach you,” Radek and Lindsay replied together. They both snorted, then Michael laughed.

“Sir?”

We all turned toward the newly arrived voice, but nobody responded until, “Oh, that’s me, right.” This whole commanding military people thing was still taking some getting used to. “Corporal Adam Miller. Do you know everybody? Everybody know you? We do now, yes, excellent, let’s move on.”

Jason snorted but covered it poorly with a cough. “Corporal, everyone in this meeting is first names only except for Major,” he told the newcomer.

“Then I’m Adam,” he responded easily, still in the doorway.

“Come and sit, Adam.” I triggered the doors once again, plunging us into relative silence as the control room sounds were cut off. “We were just—“

_”Bates to Matheson.”_

I sighed. “Okay, Michael, you stick with me. The rest of you, fill in Adam and keep working on the backup plan no matter what his answer is. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

_”Bates to Matheson. Come in.”_

I triggered my radio and spun away from the table. “Matheson here, Sergeant. What can I do for you?”

_”Permission to speak freely, sir.”_

Someone closed the conference room doors behind us as we left. “My office.”

_”You mean Dr Weir’s office.”_

I tapped the radio to make it stop transmitting from me, turned to Michael, and said dryly, “I’m so sick of Congress I could vomit.”

Michael grinned down at me. “Excellent use of an excellent quote.”

“You’re welcome.” We shared a love of _The West Wing_ , to the horror of the rest of SG-14. “Now, game plan: Keep your mouth shut, and for the love of God don’t threaten him this time.”

He looked appropriately chastised as he nodded. “Yes, sir.”

I was about to correct the ‘sir’ - something I’d made clear on our voyage over was not okay - when I noticed Bates standing outside my office, tapping his foot. “Show time,” I muttered.

“Matheson—“

“Doctor.”

Bates ground his teeth. “Dr Matheson,” he corrected himself reluctantly. “Is there a reason you and your friends are holed up with my senior staff, and I’m not invited?”

“Yes.”

He stared at me for a long moment, then asked, “What is the reason?”

I debated for a brief moment how open to be. “We are preparing for worst case scenarios. It was my intention not to call both you and your immediate subordinate to the same meeting, as I am attempting to do for all departments called into a meeting.”

“And what was the worst case scenario you we’re discussing?”

I regarded him steadily. “Perhaps you’d rather do this in my office.”

“It’s not your office!” he exploded. “This isn’t your expedition, that’s not your office, and my job is not yours to remove!”

“Oh, no,” I corrected him immediately. “I have no intention of removing your job. It’s vitally important. We were discussing our reaction should you become incapable of doing your job.”

Bates glared at me.

“I was going to come to you following the conclusion of the meeting, but as you’re here now—“

“I’m not joining your meeting.”

I closed my eyes for a couple seconds before slowly reopening them, head beginning to pound at dealing with Bates. “No, you’re not. However, I’d like your input on who you believe could safely and effectively take your job in a worst case scenario.”

“Sergeant Major is next in line.”

“Sergeant Major has stated that she believes she would not be a good candidate.”

Bates shrugged. “She’s next in line. She has to do it. Even if she won’t protect us properly.”

A sinking feeling took over my entire body. “In what way do you believe she wouldn’t protect us?”

“She’s too willing to give in to foreigners. She’s an Athosian-lover. She’s also apparently in your pocket. Anyone who works with cripples and aliens isn’t to be trusted.”

Oh, no. We weren’t ready for him to get this blatant outside of closed doors yet.

“If I had my way, you and all your little friends would be confined somewhere that you can’t fuck up my base.”

“Indigo?”

“Yes.”

Michael stepped away, and I instantly felt vulnerable and alone, even knowing that he was still in eyesight and earshot calling for the rest of SG-14.

“Maybe I’ll throw you out of your precious chair and make you walk, prove you’re not even really a cripple.”

He reached out for me, and I reacted on pure instinct borne of months training with SG-14 starting on Earth. I planted my feet on either side of my footplate, launched myself upright with all the speed and strength I could muster, grabbed Bates’s arm, and used my momentum to throw him onto the ground. My chair rolled away from me, but my momentum carried me down on top of Bates anyway. In a moment, SG-14 was there. Jason helped me up and supported me on the short walk back to my chair, locking the brakes for me as I sank back into it.

“Sergeant Dean Bates,” Michael said in what I called his colonel-voice, “you are hereby confined to quarters for forty-eight hours pending investigation into this incident.”

“You can’t do that.”

“They can, actually,” Evan said mildly, leaning against the wall in the middle of the hall. “Thank you, SG-14.” He turned to me. “It occurs to me that our teams could use short names. Right now, they’re known only as ‘Sheppard’s Team’ and the like.”

My heart was still pounding with the adrenaline and exertion. “Put it on the list for future discussion.” Bates was on his feet now, facing away from me, but I had a feeling … I sat up as straight and tall as I could and composed my face to the best of my ability, just before he glanced over his shoulder hatefully. As you wish, Bates, but you’ll not win the slightest concession from me.

* * *

Less than a week later, I got a call from Jason over the radio. “Indigo, I think you need to get down to the mess,” he said, sounding uncertain. “I think … I mean … a situation might be brewing.”

I sighed heavily and shut my laptop. “On my way,” I replied, gesturing to the rest of SG-14 unnecessarily to follow me. “Is Evan there yet?”

“Yes, but Major and Adam may be needed, too.”

Shit.

“I’ll call them,” Michael offered. I nodded my thanks and backed away from the desk.

“Let’s go.”

In the short time for us to get to the nearest transporter and appear just outside the mess, the situation graduated from brewing to happening. We walked in to find Sergeant Bates standing on one table and his friend Lieutenant Forrest standing on another, both shouting about aliens and alien lovers with Bates adding in his ableist opinions when he caught sight of me sitting there.

“Evan!” I called loudly, and the man turned to me.

“Indigo,” he said with relief, looking completely overwhelmed. Okay. No pawning it off on the military. I nodded at him and turned back to Bates.

“Sergeant Dean Bates and Lieutenant Theodore Forrest,” I shouted, and they both paused to my great relief. “Please cease this before there must be consequences.”

“There he is!” Bates cried, pointing at me, and a small part of me curled up and died at being misgendered, even though it wasn’t a surprise. “There’s the man responsible for the aliens overrunning the base! Get him!”

Nobody moved except Forrest; Michael easily stopped the lieutenant before he reached me.

“Bates—“

“I declare a mutiny!”

Oh, lord. “Will someone please arrest him?” I asked almost rhetorically, and the entire room jumped up and descended on Bates. After a moment, he emerged with three largely-unfamiliar Marines restraining him.

“Sir!” one of them called, saluting almost painfully crisply. “Confined to quarters, or?”

I had a vague recollection of some cells from my tour a couple months ago, though we didn’t seem to have much use for them. “Or. Keep them both in the cells for now, but separate them as much as possible.”

“Yes, sir!” the Marine replied.

“Corporal Adam Miller!” I shouted suddenly, pleased when Bates jumped. “Are you in here?”

“Here!” the now familiar voice called out from across the room. The Marines paused with Bates just inside the door.

“I hereby name you Interim Head of City Security.”

“Yes, sir!” Adam replied loudly. “I accept the position with pleasure!”

Bates growled, and the Marines moved him quickly out of the room. I couldn’t help but experience schadenfreude at his drastically failed mutiny and the loss of his job to such an inferior rank, in his eyes. After all he’d put me through, it was a nice change to see him suffer for his choices.

* * *

“Indigo, we’re receiving a signal from the Daedalus,” Chuck announced in my doorway a few days later. “Dr Weir is asking for you.”

I rolled out from behind the desk and followed the gate technician across the short breezeway and into the control room. “Here,” Chuck indicated a console.

“Matheson here,” I said to the console, feeling like an idiot but relieved when it worked.

_"Indy, it’s Lizzie.”_

“Lizzie, please tell me you’re almost home.”

I could practically hear her smile. _“Yes, I am. What’s happened? Nobody will tell me anything.”_

I glared around the room; some shrugged but most avoided my look. “Well, there was an attempt at a mutiny, and you have two men sitting in your cells right now. Corporal Adam Miller got a field promotion from me to Interim Head of City Security - oh, and I’m calling it a city instead of a base, which seems to have caught on nicely. Your teams now have sensible names, and my senior staff works incredibly well together. You’ll want to include them more than you have been. They’re a great group.”

Silence for a long moment, then an unexpected voice came through the radio. _“Mutiny?”_ Colonel Caldwell asked.

I shrugged, then remembered he couldn’t see me. “That’s correct. That was his word.”

More silence, then, _“Hermiod assures me we can be there within a week.”_

Oh, thank you, you glorious Asgard being. Still— “There’s no need to rush. The situation is under control for the time being.”

_“Nonetheless.”_

“Thank you, Colonel, for your concern.”

 _“Indy, I need you to take this conversation to our office,”_ Lizzie cut in, and I nodded, feeling like an idiot almost immediately.

“Sure,” I corrected myself. "Chuck?”

The man laughed and reached for the console. “Yeah, I’ll set it up, technophobe.”

I wasn’t really a technophobe, as he well knew, but there wasn’t a word for ‘having a hard time adjusting to the inner workings of ten thousand year old alien technology’ as far as I knew. I accepted the term, though, and Chuck was the only one who used it.

He was in my office almost as soon as I was (though that wasn’t saying much on this particular day). “I have a secure connection ready for you. Disconnect as any regular radio conversation, and then wave at me so I can take care of it on my end.”

“Excellent.”

Chuck triggered the radio, grinned at me, and walked out of the office.

“Lizzie?”

_“Indy. Good. Tell me about this mutiny.”_

I wanted to pick on her, but I figured the mutiny did take precedence to any small talk. “Um, well, I’m sure you can guess the broad strokes. Bates got unbearable with his weird Athosian phobia and his ableism - which, by the way, if you knew about that? I will end you. Bates was confined to quarters for 48 hours. When he was released, he almost immediately got Lieutenant Forrest involved and the next thing we knew, we the temporary command staff, I mean, the next thing we knew the two of them were standing on tables in the mess ranting about me and Teyla and the mainland Athosians. Bates was yelling that it was time for a mutiny, and … well, he tried. I tried talking to him to no avail, and some Marines fought their way to the top and arrested him. It was something, Lizzie. It was like everyone in the room wanted them arrested. If only you could have seen it.”

Silence reigned for almost a minute before she finally spoke. _“And he called it a mutiny.”_

“Yes, and is that as weird as it seemed to me?”

_“I don’t know what word the armed forces uses, but it feels weird to me, too.”_

I thought for a second. “I guess I’d expect something like insurrection or insurgence, or even rebellion or revolt.”

A snort filtered through the radio. _“Sometimes I forget you did your undergrad in English.”_

“It occurs to me that mutiny is the correct word if you consider this city a kind of ship. We are on water.”

_“We’re not pirates, Indy.”_

“Marines aren’t pirates?” I teased, relieved when she laughed. “Subject change?”

_“For now.”_

“Who didn’t come back with you?”

_“Everybody who left Atlantis with me is on this ship heading … home. Everybody except Kavanaugh.”_

Phew. “That is … that’s good. That’s very good. I’ve been trying to get a read on each of them so I have some idea of how Bates will be handled. I wanted to prepare the city in some way before it actually happened.”

_“That’s an interesting idea. Do you have a feel for what the people are wanting or expecting?”_

I smiled. “Not the city as a whole, no, but we’re working on that. I should know by the end of the day. My staff is discussing it with their departments.”

_“How’s SG-14 doing?”_

“They’re great. They’re helping Evan talk to all of the military contingent. They’ve really stepped up, Lizzie. I hope you brought me those treats for them.”

She laughed. _“I did. I brought something for all of your staff, actually. Mostly chocolate and coffee.”_

“Those are the hot commodities here. I bet they’ll all appreciate it.”

_“Indy, we need to discuss what to do with Bates.”_

I sighed heavily. “We do, but I think we both need to meet with our staffs first, if not meet all together.”

_“Good plan. Can we all meet in an hour but have already met with our staffs before then?”_

“Yes, that works,” I replied, shifting in my chair and motioning through the glass for Chuck; Thomas appeared as well. “One hour.”

 _“One hour,”_ she confirmed. _“Weir out.”_

“Matheson out.” I beckoned the two men in the doorway into the room. “Chuck, we’re going to need a good setup in the conference room in one hour, but we’ll be using it up until that time.”

“I just need five minutes to get it set up,” Chuck replied.

“Do it now,” I ordered. “Thomas, summon the group.”

“Major as well?”

I thought for a minute. She didn’t need to be there, but she’d worked under Bates for a while and knew him best out of all of us. Besides, she’d met with us so many other times about him, it felt weird to leave her out now. “Yes.”

“I’ll have them here in five,” Thomas promised. He took off at a run, hand already on his radio, and I quickly filtered him out.

“What else do we need?” I asked myself aloud, refusing to feel uncomfortable about it even when Chuck stuck his head back in the room to inquire. “Pen and paper. Or….” I reached up and tapped my own radio. “Matheson to Lorne.”

“I’m on my way,” Lorne answered.

“Turn around. Bring a sketch book and whatever you need to make our plans.”

“Yes, sir. Sorry, I meant yes, Indigo.”

I tried to make the amusement in my voice carry through the radio. “Caught you off guard there?”

Evan laughed. “Rather.”

“Go get your supplies and meet the rest of us.”

“I’m heading to my quarters now. Lorne out.”

His quarters, of course. Why would he keep his art supplies in his office? Think, Indigo, think. I shook my head at myself, resettled in my chair, and headed across the walkway to the conference room.

* * *

“Are we in agreement?” I asked, and my team nodded. “Evan, visual aids?”

He grinned. “Two sets. One is just for us, and the other is on the Weir stack.”

I grinned back. “Just for us for now?”

“After we meet with Weir and her team.”

“Indigo?”

I spun my chair to more easily see the other side of the room. “Major.”

“I’ve never been in a meeting with Dr Weir.” She chewed on her bottom lip briefly before spitting it back out.

“Well, I don’t believe any of us have been in more than a couple. She’s not that scary, though, I promise you.”

Major shook her head. “Sure, but I’ve heard you two were college friends.”

Huh. We hadn’t been keeping it a secret, but it did make me wonder how the news got out. “It’s been a while since college,” I said with a laugh. After a beat, Major joined in.

“Indigo? It’s time.”

I nodded silently, swallowing hard. For all that Lizzie didn’t scare me, this meeting did. This meeting was an unexpected display of my team, of the people I’d chosen to rely on, and none of them but Teyla were people she’d chosen to rely on. I was hoping to show them off to their best advantage, but we’d had none of the prep time I’d been banking on.

Stupid Bates.

_"Daedalus to Atlantis.”_

“Matheson here,” I responded almost on autopilot.

_“Indy, I’m here with Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, Dr Carson Beckett, and Dr Rodney McKay.”_

“You’ve got me, Teyla Emmagan — Hey, congratulations, Sheppard!”

“Congratulations, sir,” and “Congratulations, Sheppard,” rang out in my conference room. 

_“Thank you all,”_ Sheppard replied.

“Back to business,” I said before anyone else could suggest it. “Indigo Matheson, Teyla Emmagen, Dr Radek Zelenka, Dr Lindsay Biro, Major Evan Lorne, Sergeant Kelly Major, Corporal Adam Miller, Colonel Michael Thompson, Dr Jason Donaldson, Captain D’Atra Johanson, and Captain Thomas Reynolds. The final four, for anyone keeping track, are the four members of SG-14. Daedalus crew, were you able to reach a verdict?”

Lizzie sighed. _“This is a very uncomfortable situation for all of us, Indy. We’re all hesitant to pass any sort of judgment, no matter how temporary, on a situation we’ve not been present to watch build.”_

“Then let us help.” I gestured to Major, who glared at me as she picked up her sketchbook page. I could see numbers inside different shapes, but that was all from across the table.

“Dr Weir, we polled one hundred percent of Atlantis - well, ninety-nine percent, as we didn’t ask Bates or Forrest. Of those polled, we had a one hundred percent response rate. Eighty-three percent requested you know their identities, actually. Ninety-nine percent believe that the two men should be held responsible for their actions. One percent were Dr Heightmeyer and her assistant Kody, who believe he has significant mental health issues underlying this new behavior and should be treated instead. As to what action should be taken, answers are more split, but the majority wants him in a cell for now and then shipped back to Earth. Of the Earth answers, the majority come down to letting the SGC deal with it.”

_“While that’s certainly important information to have, I can’t be seen as bowing to a poll. Indy, what would you be doing if the city were yours permanently?”_

I held back a thousand jokes about getting the hell out of the city and instead replied, “I would keep him in a cell here - because it’s safer for everyone in the city - and then transfer him to a cell on the Daedalus and send him to Earth. Not just because a poll said to, but because it’s the right thing to do, the only thing to do. I’m not going to hurt him, do research on him, or hold him indefinitely, and I don’t see any other humane possibility. Send him to Earth and he’ll get the treatment he needs that he can’t get here, and we’ll remain secure.”

 _“And the rest of your team?”_ Lizzie asked.

I smiled at each of them proudly. It had taken the whole hour to talk Michael around, but he’d come over with the rest of us in the end, strengthening our arguments and our resolve in the process. “We’re in agreement. All of us.”

* * *

_“Dr Matheson. Dr Matheson! Indigo!”_

I groaned and rolled over. Too early for this.

A hand landed on my shoulder. “Indy.”

I swatted ineffectually at the hand, then managed to collide solidly with the attached face.

“Thanks, Indy,” a voice drawled exaggeratedly. “Come on, now, time to wake up. Adam needs you.”

“Mrrrrrph.”

“I’m putting your radio on you,” the voice warned me. “Go ahead, Adam, they’re on.”

 _“Wraith!”_ a new voice shrieked in my ear. _“In the city!”_

I jerked upright, grabbing onto Michael as I swayed. “How many?”

_“Just one.”_

“Okay.”

_“Indigo-“_

“Shh. Remember what we talked about. You’re on it so far. Who else did you wake up?” I scrubbed my spare hand over my face.

_“Nobody but you and Michael. Major is supposed to be getting Evan.”_

“Good. Good.” I slapped my cheeks, still stabilizing on Michael’s shoulder. He shifted to sit on the edge of my bed beside me. “You know what to do from here. I’m here, but you’ve got this under control.”

 _“Teyla’s here,”_ he said, sounding a little more at ease. I smirked at Michael; he’d told me two days ago after our meeting with the Daedalus command staff that he suspected a little crush. _“She says the Wraith woke her.”_

“So?”

 _“So she joins my team and I hang back to coordinate,”_ Adam said. He took a deep breath and, I was sure, nodded firmly. _“Okay. Teams will report to me on channel 4 throughout, if you want to keep an ear out.”_

“I’ll have someone assigned to it,”I said, tapping Michael’s shoulder. A moment later, the slight echo of two radios on the same channel changed as he flipped to 4. “Call my name if I’m needed.”

“Teams are assembled and moving out,” Michael reported.

_“Miller out.”_

I deactivated my radio and took it off. “Wake me up at the first sign of trouble or if they get the thing without trouble.”

“You’re really going to go back to bed.”

I grinned at Michael and slid my hand from his shoulder down to his elbow, using the grip to slide back into bed. “I am really going back to bed,” I replied. “There’s nothing I can do right now. I’ll be present when they get the Wraith in a cell - shit, do we have enough cells?”

“I’ll get D to check out the cells,” Michael responded, rolling his eyes. “But I’m pretty sure we do. Now, you sleep, and I’ll be back instead of wasting my time on the radio next time you need to be awoken.”

A hand shook my shoulder again. “Please don’t hit me,” a voice said, and I laughed before I even opened my eyes.

“What’s up, Jason?” I forced my tired eyes wide. “Where’s Michael? How long has it been?”

“He joined the search parties’ second wave. It’s only been an hour or so. He left me here with the radio and it’s definitely…. Hang on.”

I waited, wondering if I needed to get dressed and if my shoulders would cooperate. Only an hour? Something was going either very wrong or very right. With my luck, it was—

“They got the Wraith!” Jason said, bouncing on the edge of my bed. Okay, it went very right. That was a surprise … but the shoulder subluxing? That was more like what I expected.

I tried to remember what I had worn to bed, then I peeked under the sheet to be sure. Yep. pants and a shirt, neither visibly dirty. “Jason, you up to pushing me to the holding cells?”

“Uh, sure? You okay?”

I couldn’t blame his hesitation. In the months I’d known them, I’d only asked SG-14 for a lift once before. “Sure, fine.”

“Liar.”

I shrugged one-shouldered. “For my definition of fine.”

He pushed like we were in a race, but I didn’t complain even when our abrupt halt upon entering the cell block nearly threw me from the chair. I was too excited to have beaten the Wraith to the cells.

_“Corporal Miller to Matheson.”_

“Go ahead, Miller.”

_“We’re approaching the cells now.”_

“Oh, I’m ready and waiting. Matheson out.”

Doors slid open with a quiet whoosh, and I braced myself for my first in-person experience.

It wasn’t a drone but was instead one of the males, tall with flowing white hair. Yup. Still wildly terrifying with a small side order of attractive. “What the fuck.”

“I know,” Jason said, backing up my chair. “Creepy, aren’t they?”

Sure, that’s what I meant. “Uh-huh. You can let go of me now.”

Jason released my chair and stepped around to stand beside me. “Okay, we’ve seen it. Let’s go.”

The Wraith burst into action, struggling against its bonds. It ripped free of the Marines holding it and charged me. Jason shouted and jumped back, but I knew there was only one way for me to end it and still be able to interrogate the thing. I grabbed my rims, wrenched my chair around to the right so my footplate was beside the Wraith, stuck out a leg, and yanked my chair hard to the left, taking the thing’s leg out from under it mid-step. As it landed on its face, I saw the flash of its stunner impact with its head and chest repeatedly. It landed on the floor ten feet away from me, cuffed hands outstretched toward me, moaning.

No. Not moaning. Trying to talk through a stunner.

“Why what?” I asked it, rolling to just outside touching range. “Why me?”

It nodded, the most human gesture I’d ever heard of a Wraith possessing.

“Because I am smarter than you, think faster than you, and am basically better than you,” I informed it too low for most of the others to hear. I knew Jason and Adam would be close enough to make it out, maybe Teyla, but nobody else. “Because my value isn’t based on whether or not I can run away from you. Because-“ I stood on trembling legs, hands hovering over my arm rests. “Because I am stronger than you.” The look in its eyes was a treasure to me - not just defeated, not just brought low by an opponent, but brought low by an opponent so perceived weak that I wasn’t even considered a factor.

Now I get it. Now I know why Lizzie agreed to rule a little colony in another galaxy. The responsibility gets heavy, but it’s the moments like these where you can feel like you’re making a real difference for your people. That’s what makes it all worth it.

“Get this thing out of my sight,” I ordered Adam’s men, and there was an awkward mishmash of saluting and jumping right into the job. Adam made eye contact with me, rolled his eyes, and nodded. Good; he’d take care of it.

Less than a minute later, I sank back into my chair. My legs were so tired from their brief stand and the adrenaline that I had to lift them onto the footplate with my hands. Still, I’d knocked down and intimidated a Wraith. Wouldn’t Lizzie be surprised when she heard? “Oh, crap,” I said, rolling my head back to stare up at Jason. “Get me somewhere quiet so I can inform the Daedalus.”

* * *

_“Indy, I just got the report from last night … well, from this morning. I must say I’m impressed.”_

I smiled to myself. “I’ll pass that along.”

_“What did you do to get results like this?”_

Just like grad school, little Lizzie Weir chasing after me for advice after showing up everyone else. It never seemed to matter then that we were in two very different fields, and it hadn’t really seemed to matter when she’d left me in charge, either. “Lizzie, it’s exactly what I’ve been saying all along. I listened to advice when choosing the best person for the job, and then I delegated wildly and let him have control of his own department.”

 _“Hmph.”_ I ignored her sound and doodled an astronaut on the corner of my paper. Across my desk, Adam grinned. _“Alright then, what did Miller do?”_

I raised an eyebrow at him, and he cleared his throat with a nod. On the other end of the transmission, lightyears away, I could picture Lizzie jumping at the reminder that he was in my office. “Well, ma’am, as soon as I was named Interim Head of Security, I called a meeting of the entire department as well as those most commonly called in to assist with emergencies.”

_“SFs?”_

I sighed. “Lizzie, how many times have I told you to learn more about the military _before_ you joined up with them?” I could feel her shrug. “I’m pretty sure you’re talking about the Army. Atlantis only has Air Force and Marines.”

“In this case, ma’am, there are several Marines who aren’t on an AR team who work for me or work for Major Lorne - I’m sorry, for Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard - who step up in the case of a security emergency. The ones who man the gate at any unscheduled off world activation are mine, for example, while those who run trainings and physical fitness challenges work for Major Sheppard. Ugh, I’m sorry. Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard.”

I chucked my pencil at Adam and pointed to a different corner of my paper from the astronaut. He struggled but ultimately failed to stifle a snort at my small comic: a chibi Sheppard stood in the center of speech bubbles calling him John, Sheppard, Major Sheppard, Major, Lt Col Sheppard, and Colonel. In his hand, he held a tiny megaphone and was yelling, “Who am I??” into it.

 _“Indy, stop doodling,”_ Lizzie said with a sigh.

“Sure.” I didn’t. A chibi Lizzie was taking form under the pencil I fished out of the drawer, my original pencil still rolling slowly away from Adam. “Did Adam’s answer explain who was involved?”

She sighed again, clearly resigned to my continued doodling. That hadn’t changed since grad school. _"Yes, thank you, Corporal. Now please explain how your very first live action operated at the speeds it did.”_

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, leaning back in his chair and propping a knee on the edge of my desk. “I found a report Bates left in the office that detailed the problem areas, fastest and slowest performers, that sort of thing. It was months old but never got acted on. I combined that with my own experience in security to reconfigure the search teams, radio codes, and communication chains. Finally, I spoke at length with Teyla, and we reorganized one larger team around her ability to sense the Wraith. Between her and our possession of stunners, it actually was easy to find and eliminate the threat.”

_“Are you satisfied with your speed?”_

Adam blinked at me; all I could do was shrug. “I … no, ma’am. I don’t imagine I could ever be truly satisfied with our speed. There is always something to improve.”

_“Like what?”_

“I know this wasn’t a popular idea when I suggested it to Bates, but I’d love to speak with the Athosians or even some of our other allies to see if there are any others who can sense the Wraith as Teyla does. If we had one on every gate team, can you imagine how much safer we would be? Not to mention cross-training everyone so those abilities were always available to security!”

_“That’s a valuable idea.”_

“You don’t have to sound so surprised.”

_“Shut up, Indy.”_

I grinned at Adam, who returned the expression without reserve.

_“What else, Corporal?”_

“Well, as soon as I rearranged everything, we had five drills in a row.”

“Using Jinto and Wex’s Wraith mask,” I added unnecessarily. Lizzie laughed.

“Yes, we chose five random Lanteans to wear the mask.”

_“Lanteans?”_

“Yeah, that’s the word the Athosians have been using for us, and I suppose I’ve popularized it among my staff,” I admitted readily.

 _“There are worse words,”_ she allowed. _“I’d simply understood us to be Terrans.”_

“Ma’am, there are many Lanteans who no longer identify with Terrans or even with Earth.”

Silence reigned; I hushed Adam to give Lizzie time to think. To fill the time, I sketched a board on my paper, next to chibi!Sheppard, and drew an X in the corner. Adam rolled his eyes but picked up the pencil from the floor beside him and easily forced a tie by the time Lizzie finally spoke.

 _“I see,”_ was all she said on the subject, but I had a feeling from what she’d said days earlier about senior staff ‘coming home’ that she and Sheppard and McKay, at least, would be calling themselves Lanteans before the Daedalus beamed them down. _“Now, Hermiod says we can operate further over maximum capacity to arrive in less than two days, I believe around forty-nine hours, or we can continue at our current over-maximum to arrive around three days from now. What is your recommendation, Miller? And yours, Indy?”_

“She asked you first.”

Adam stuck out his tongue at me but replied professionally enough, “Ma’am, I don’t believe there’s a significant loss or gain to city security with you or Indigo in charge at this point. Will the Daedalus require more time in orbit? That’s the only relevant information I don’t have.”

_“In orbit or landed on the south pier again.”_

“Landed is safer than orbiting,” Adam said quickly. “Less chance of a Wraith ship happening along and detecting it.”

“The chances of that happening are slim,” I added, “but why take even a slim risk if it isn’t necessary?”

_“Why indeed.”_

* * *

Two knocks rang out in my significantly smaller office, and I straightened slowly from my stretch before even thinking about turning towards the door.

“Lizzie!”

The tall woman grinned at me. “Nice to know you can still creep me out with those joints of yours.”

“I’m a regular party trick,” I said with a laugh. “What brings you down here?”

“Oh, just checking out my new office for when the Indigo Mutiny happens.”

I frowned. “I’m a mutiny now? That’s impressive.”

“Do you know how long Evan Lorne has been in the Air Force?”

“Fourteen years.”

“I … Yes, actually, except I had to look up my answer. But! My point remains! Fourteen years of military service, no reprimands or anything like that, and the man stuck his tongue out at me today.”

I couldn’t help it; I laughed so hard I fell over, missing my chair on the way down. “Oh, ow!”

“Need help?”

I pushed myself until I was seated upright on the floor. “No, it’s a good day. What did you do to earn that honor?”

“Nothing! Well, he may have seen one of _your_ doodles and thought it mine.”

I felt the laughter just explode out of me, completely uncontrolled. “Oh, God,” I sputtered when I finally had enough air to speak. “Which doodle?”

“A certain Sheppard doodle.”

“Sharing space with you and an astronaut?”

“And three games of tic tac toe.”

I leaned against my chair and laughed until tears were leaking out of my eyes. “The call, with you and Adam. That’s when I was doodling that.”

Her laughter joined mine, and she sank down to rest her back against my desk, joining me on the floor. “Poor Miller just couldn’t get it right.”

I shook my head. “The thing about Adam and names is that he’s got phenomenal recall based just off seeing a picture and a name, but he can’t seem to handle it when the name changes. It’ll probably take him a couple months to get it right. But hey, he finally stopped asking 'Lt Col Who?’ so call that a win!”

Lizzie rolled her head back into the desk. “Is it bad that I don’t want to go back into that office? Everyone’s treating it like yours, like I’m the temporary replacement.”

Oof. “I’m sorry.”

She flapped a hand in my general direction. “No, I’m glad you were so great. I’m also glad you’re not leaving. I don’t know how that’ll affect the transition back for the city, but I’m glad for me.”

“C’mere.” I patted the floor beside me, relieved when she slid over without hesitation. “Now that we both know what kind of work we’re doing, we can stay in touch. And we will, yeah?” I held out a hand, palm up.

“We will,” Lizzie promised, grasping my hand in return, then standing and pulling me gently to my feet. “Get back in your chair.”

“Yes, mother.” It actually was a huge relief to my hips and back to be back in my properly built chair instead of on the floor. “Do you need anything from me on the Bates front?” I asked hesitantly.

She smiled and tucked my hair behind my ear. “No, not a thing. You left it all so organized. John and I agree that there’s no need to redo the AIA or the meeting you had. Senior staff also stands behind your temporary sentencing and takes your recommendation on further sentencing. Dean Bates and Theodore Forrest are leaving in two days with the Daedalus.”

“Then I can start the survival training for the AR teams,” I commented excitedly.

Lizzie shrugged. “No rush. Why don’t you take a few days? Nobody’ll die in the meantime.”

I glared at her. “Thanks for the jinx, Lizzie. Now I really do have to start today."

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings/Content: mild violence sometimes involving Wraith, a Terran First attitude (bigotry against Athosians and other Pegasus natives), misgendering of a trans character, ableism


End file.
